Factors influencing fathers’ involvement in the care of hospitalized preterm newborns in Balaka, Malawi

Abstract

BackgroundMalawi has one of the highest incidences of premature birth, and preterm newborns are twice likely to die compared to full-term newborns. Fathers’ involvement could help with the situation because it is associated with positive outcomes. However, there is limited literature on the factors that influence fathers’ involvement in the care of preterm newborns in Malawi.MethodsA phenomenological study was conducted at Balaka District Hospital guided by the components of the model proposed by Lamb on male involvement and the Theory of planned behaviour to explore factors that influenced fathers’ involvement in the care of preterm infants. The district was selected due to its high infant mortality rate, which is above the national average. Sixteen in-depth interviews were conducted with fathers of preterm infants purposively sampled in June 2021. Interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis guided by the Theory of Planned Behaviour. ResultsSeveral factors influence fathers’ involvement. These are perceived difficulty with care activities and benefits of involvement, gender roles and socio-cultural beliefs, work and other family responsibilities, social support, baby’s physical appearance/nature and health status, feedback from the baby, multiple births, and hospital’s physical environment and provision of basic needs. These were reported as being barriers and facilitators to fathers’ involvement in the care of their hospitalized preterm newborns.ConclusionFathers’ involvement in the care of hospitalized preterm newborns can be improved by finding ways of resolving the barriers. This could be through education, awareness, and encouragement of the fathers and their communities.

Fathers’ involvement in pregnancy and childbirth in Africa: an integrative systematic review

“…The articles’ characteristics are summarised in Table 2 . The studies were carried out in Ethiopia [ 20–23 ], Eritrea [ 24 ], Gambia [ 24 ], Ghana [ 25 , 26 ], Kenya [ 27 , 28 ], Malawi [ 29 , 30 ], Nigeria [ 31 , 32 ], Rwanda [ 33 ], South Africa [ 10 , 34–39 ], Tanzania [ 40–46 ] and Uganda [ 47 , 48 ].…”

“… Malawi The study found that fathers value their involvement in caring for hospitalized preterm newborns, but face barriers related to traditional gender norms, and in some cases hospital and staff related constraints and economic constraints as more than half of participants were unemployed. Quality: 5 Mhango et al, 2023 [ 30 ] 16 IDIs with male partners 13 Experiences, views, and needs of first-time fathers in pregnancy-related care: a qualitative study in south-east Nigeria. Qualitative To explore the experiences and needs of first-time fathers, and how these influenced their involvement during pregnancy and childbirth in Nigeria Nigeria Inexperience and perceptions of gender roles greatly influenced the support provided by first-time fathers to their partners.…”

Parents’ Perception and Use of Skin-to-Skin Care in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…A recent research study from Malawi revealed that the traditional father's role influences fathers' involvement in caring for hospitalized newborns. The father is responsible for the family's needs, and the mother is responsible for the infant's care [33]. More research is needed to identify the factors influencing parents' practice of SSC in Saudi Arabia.…”

“…Research revealed that SSC with fathers leads to positive outcomes for infants and fathers [31,32]. Many factors influence the father's involvement in neonatal care such as gender role and socio-cultural beliefs [33]. Some fathers believe that infant care is traditionally a female role [33].…”

“…Many factors influence the father's involvement in neonatal care such as gender role and socio-cultural beliefs [33]. Some fathers believe that infant care is traditionally a female role [33]. The willingness of fathers to practice SSC care with their neonates is affected by their perception and beliefs about SSC.…”